Theatre Costume
1933-1975 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Headdress embellished with beads and with central plume of black feathers, worn at Murray's Cabaret Club, circa 1960s.
Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale.
This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes.
Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale.
This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Lurex, feathers, glass beads, metal, plastic, wool felt |
| Brief description | Costume from Murray's Cabaret Club. Feathered headdress. Bejewelled gold cap with black ostrich feather plume. |
| Physical description | Bead covered headdress, Murray's Cabaret Club. Headdress covered with gold bugle beads and dominated by a central group of upstanding black ostrich feather plumes. The headdress is founded on a metal frame and held in place with an elasticated strap under the chin, this strap is also embellished with beads. Integral hanging earrings formed from white and crimson cut glass gems are suspended from the proper left and proper right base of the headdress. The central metal stand from which the upstanding plume of feathers rises is also decorated with cut glass paste gems, these are shaped into flowers and curling leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | Headdress embellished with beads and with central plume of black feathers, worn at Murray's Cabaret Club, circa 1960s. Cabaret costumes are among the most intricate and lavish of all theatrical costumes, successors, in ingenuity and style, to pantomime costumes of the late 19th and early 20th century. At that time whole scenes were devoted to parades of costumes on a theme, like flowers, styles of porcelain, sweets or countries. In the 1960s the idea of parading spectacular and imaginative costumes continued in nightclub floor shows, though on a smaller scale. This costume was worn by a showgirl at Murray's Cabaret Club, an intimate London nightclub situated in Beak Street in Soho.Murray's opened in 1933 and finally closed its doors in 1975. The founder, Percival Murray, established it as a respectable restaurant and club and it had a strict membership and admission policy. Royalty and film stars were regular patrons. The club was known for its floorshows which featured showgirls in elaborate, if brief, costumes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.951-1984 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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